Beer cooler



No 20, 1934. o. WEIGELT 1,981,014

BEER COOLER Filed May 17, 1954 away/M INVENTOR 0770 Wf/GEZT BY 354mm ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 20, 193 4 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFEE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to beer coolers, and more particularly to the water pipe beer cooler of the type adapted for use in brewing establishments.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel beer cooler having means for greatly improved distribution of the beer while undergoing the cooling process, so as to invoke and utilize the greatest amount of cooling efiiciency of the apparatus.

A further object is to provide a beer cooler of the water pipe type having an efiicient and simple means for accommodating a variation in length of the pipes employed caused by their expansion or contraction during use.

Another object is to provide end manifolds for the pipes having longitudinally slideable mountings permanently secured but capable of limited movement to accommodate variations in expansion and contraction of the water pipes.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a water pipe of a novel and improved form f rendering it of superior efficiency over pipes;

formed as heretofore have been employed in devices of the type.

The constructional features of the improved beer cooler will now be described, and the novelty residing in the same will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a complete cooler embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 33 of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is-a plan view of one of the manifolds detached from assembly.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section through contiguous pipes.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 10 refers to the upper troughs which are substantially V-shaped and are formed of metal mesh or perforated to serve as strainers for the beer. The troughs 10 are pivotally supported at each end by means of pins 12 in the standards 13 and 13. The troughs are partially dependingly inserted within the troughs 14, which latter are dependingly and pivotally supported by means of the trunnions shown at 16, the latter being fixed in the standards 13 and 13'.

The trough 14 is perforated to permit downward flow therethrough of the beer, and has a central, longitudinal, inner dividing ridge 17,

running along the bottom thereof, and a central longitudinal strip or keel 18, secured to the outer bottom thereof.

The body of the cooler comprises a row of horizontally arranged pipes or tubes 19 which are disposed in vertical single relation and held fixedly in the vertical standards 13. The tubes 19 terminate at their ends in the manifolds, 20, and in the inlet pipes 21 and the outlet pipes 22. The cooler has a plurality of pairs of manifolds 20 and each pair is connected integrally with a plurality of tubes 19. The two upper pairs of manifolds 20 and tubes 19 are independently connected with a source of cold water supply. The three lower groups of tubes as shown in Fig. l are interconnected to utilize a single source of water supply. In this case, substantially registering openings are cut in the manifolds at their contact surfaces.

All but the lowermost tube 19, in each bank, are formed with a longitudinal pointed projection 23 of the lower portion of the tube wall contacting the adjacent underlying tube along its entire length. The lowermost tube 19 in each bank has a circular wall, and a strip, 24, so v-shaped in cross-section, with the apex thereof directed downwardly, secured to its lower side and extending for its entire length. The strip 24 freely contacts the top of the tube in the bank below, whereas the longitudinal projections 23 are soldered or otherwise joined with the help of fusible material with the adjacent underlying tubes.

The standards 13 are the principal supports of the cooler and are to be rigidly fixed to any suitable base. The end standards, 13, have the base-plates 25, which have a downwardly directed dovetail tenon 26 complementary to a groove as at 27 in the head-plate 28 of the uppermost manifold 20. Each manifold 20 has a groove 27 in its head-plate 28, and a dove-tail tenon 26 in its base plate 25, whereby the manifolds have a longitudinal sliding engagement with each other.

Each head-plate 28 and base-plate 25 has a pair of eyes, 30, which are elongated as shown in Fig. 4, to permit a limited relative longitudinal movement of the manifolds. Bolts, 31, secure contacting head-plates and base-plates by means of the eyes, 30, to limit the longitudinal movement of the sliding manifolds.

In use, the hot beer is poured into trough 10, through which it strains into trough 14. The latter, due to the ridge 17 and the keel 18, divides the beer into two approximately equal p0r- 119 tions draining downwardly over the tubes 19, one on either side thereof. The tubes are filled with cold water, and as the heated beer runs over the first group of pipes, the tubes will get warmer and will expand. The expansion of the tubes is accommodated by the mobility of the manifolds, 20. The eccentric form of the tubes 19 and the strip 24, keeps the beer from flowing around the pipes. The strips 24 serve to insulate the various groups of tubes from each other. As the beer nears the bottom of the cooler it will be understood that the tube groups will be subject to a lesser degree of heat expansion.

The lower tubes may be filled with brine, as is common in beer treatment, because of the uniform temperature this solution maintains- The troughs, l0 and 14, are pivotally supported to rotate about a horizontal axis for facility in the cleaning thereof.

It will be understood that the device is capable of various modifications in structure and design, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, horizontally extending water pipes disposed in vertical single file, a projecting distortion of the lower portion of each of the said pipes contacting the pipe beneath, terminal manifolds joined to said pipes, and means between the separate manifolds to allow for varying expansion and contraction of said sets of pipes.

2. In a device of the class described; horizontally extending water pipes disposed in vertical relation, and an integral eccentric longitudinal projecting distortion of the lower portion of the wall of each of the said pipes, a fusing material sealing the projecting portion with the pipe beneath, terminal manifolds on said pipes, and slideable dovetailed means connecting said manifolds to allow for longitudinal expansion and contraction of the said pipes.

OTTO WEIGELT. 

